Dying by degrees

As I sit at my computer, I have already called up the draft of my doctoral dissertation to continue revising it prior to submitting it in early December. And all of the sudden I had one of those "blasts from the past," in this case a statement that my pastor used to make while I was in college doing my undergraduate work back in the early to mid '70s. Pastor Millard had founded and pastored several large churches, but he had definite ideas about education. He used to say, "men die by degree - BA, MA, PhD." We all used to laugh at it. I still do. We all have known or heard of people who have progressively left their faith behind as they have advanced the educational ladder. And yet, that is the attitude that had we evangelicals ceding the educational field to those who had no trouble voicing their doubts about scripture and our Lord to their students. And, I have actually found that the sentiment behind the statement is not quite true. Yes, there are those who have abandoned their faith while getting their education. But, as JP Moreland has pointed out, it usually wasn't because of what they had learned - it was because they found that they wanted to do things that their faith discouraged, and it was easier to deny the faith completely rather than admit that one had failed. As I have gone through my studies, I have found my faith strengthened. And, to be honest, I find that an unexamined faith is a poor faith that can quickly crumble when things get tough. My faith has been tried in all kinds of fire, including the intellectual fire, and it is as strong or stronger than ever. And doesn't that make sense? God is not trying to hide. So the more we learn about every aspect of our world, the more we should be able to see God's hand. Or so it seems to me.

Pastor Ken